Agenda and minutes

It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Harwood, Munford, Paterson and T Sams.

There were no applications for dispensations.

The Head of Legal Partnership advised Members that at this meeting they would be making a decision on the progress of the Local Plan as a whole.  For that reason, any site- or issue-specific Other Significant Interests that had been previously declared were not relevant as there were no decisions to be made at this meeting on individual sites, areas or broad locations; the decision related to the Maidstone Borough Local Plan.

There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.

All Members stated that they had been lobbied on the report of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee relating to the Maidstone Borough Local Plan – Publication (Regulation 19).

Most Members stated that they had been lobbied on the report of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee relating to the North Loose Neighbourhood Development Plan.

RESOLVED:  That the items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the meeting of the Borough Council held on 9 December 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed.

Having reminded Members that, at the last meeting, he had mentioned that, at his request, letters had been sent to the Mayors of Paris and Beauvais expressing sympathy and solidarity following the tragic events which took place in Paris on 13 November 2015, the Mayor read out the reply that he had received from the Mayor of Paris.

The Mayor welcomed Councillor McLoughlin back to the Council Chamber following an operation.

The Mayor then updated Members on recent/forthcoming events, and thanked them for their support.

Councillor Harper entered the meeting during the Mayor’s announcements (6.40 p.m.).

There were no petitions.

Questions to the Chairman of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee

Mr Peter Titchener asked the following question of the Chairman of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee:

Seasonal agricultural tasks are now performed by hundreds of European Union workers who come into our area, not by local people.  For Gypsy & Traveller sites, why do you therefore still hide behind “history” when advocating a huge increase in sites in our Borough, rather than using permissible flexibilities to bring our Borough back into line with other parts of Kent for the 21^st century?

The Chairman of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee replied that:

There are two very different parts to your question, and I do not think that we should bring the two together.  The issue of European Union workers is quite disconnected from that of the Gypsy and Traveller population in the Borough, and will ultimately be a subject of the national referendum later in the year, indirectly.  The fact of the matter is that because in times past, this Borough relied heavily upon the traveller community to provide seasonal labour, we do have that legacy, and that is why in the Salford report and other research, we do need to make accommodation available to the level that we do.  I would also further note that in the draft Local Plan we do fail to meet the number of sites that the report tells us that we need to and this is because of the lack of available and suitable sites.

Councillor Mrs Blackmore, the Leader of the Conservative Group, Councillor Mrs Wilson, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Mrs Gooch, the Leader of the Independent Group, Councillor Sargeant, the Leader of the UKIP Group, and Councillor McKay, the Leader of the Labour Group, then responded to the question.

Mr Titchener asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee:

The Salford University analysis was not as objectively assessed as it might have been.  The University analysis failed to consult the settled community as required by the Government.  Will you now require genuine sustainability of new sites, tests for genuine future nomadic intentions and consult the settled community with a view to arriving at a lower planned figure and rebalancing the over representation of sites in Maidstone which is about one third of all of them in Kent when compared with other parts of Kent?

The Chairman of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee replied that:

The question seems to be in two parts.  The first part relates to consultation, and the one thing that we have done more thoroughly than perhaps any other local authority in developing this Local Plan is to consult.  The conclusions drawn from the consultation responses may not always directly correspond to the wishes of the consultees, but consultation has happened.  With regard to the second part relating to the recent guidance about nomadic travel being required evidentially, I  ...  view the full minutes text for item 97.

There were no questions from Members of the Council to the Chairmen of Committees.

It was moved by Councillor Burton, seconded by Councillor Clark, that the Council approves the North Loose Neighbourhood Development Plan, attached as Appendix A to the report of the Head of Planning and Development to the meeting of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee held on 19 January 2016, to proceed to referendum.

RESOLVED:  That the North Loose Neighbourhood Development Plan, attached as Appendix A to the report of the Head of Planning and Development to the meeting of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee held on 19 January 2016, be approved to proceed to referendum.

It was moved by Councillor Burton, seconded by Councillor Mrs Grigg, that the recommendations of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee relating to the Maidstone Borough Local Plan – Publication (Regulation 19) be agreed subject to the amendment of the first recommendation as follows:

That subject to the reclassification of Coxheath as a Larger Village and the insertion of the Indicative Housing Trajectory, the Council approves the Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2016 (attached as Appendix A to the report to the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee dated 13 January 2016, revised to reflect (i) insertion of the words ‘community and’ at line 1 of Policy H1 paragraph 2 on page 78, before the word ‘strategic’; and (ii) any previously agreed site-specific infrastructure criterion not covered by (i) which were agreed by the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee or its decision-making predecessor, and (iii), except where decisions and resolutions of the Planning Committee and/or the Planning Referrals Committee already supersede (i) and (ii)) for Publication (Regulation 19) and Submission to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Regulation 22) for examination under section 20 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

Councillor Burton explained that the amendment to the first recommendation was agreed by the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee at its meeting held on 19 January 2016 having regard to the fact that several sites had secured a planning consent or a resolution to grant subject to the signing of a S106 agreement, resulting in previously agreed site specific policy criteria being superseded.

Five Members of the Council requested that a named vote be taken.  The voting was as follows:

For (38)

Councillors Mrs Blackmore, Boughton, Burton, Butler, Chittenden, Clark, Cox, Daley, Ells, English, Fissenden, Garland, Mrs Gooch, Greer, Mrs Grigg, Harper, Hemsley, Mrs Hinder, Mrs Joy, McKay, McLoughlin, Moriarty, B Mortimer, D Mortimer, Naghi, Paine, Mrs Parvin, Pickett, Mrs Ring, Mrs Robertson, Ross, J Sams, Vizzard, Mrs Watson, Webster, Webb, Willis, Mrs Wilson

Against (13)

Councillors Ash, Brice, Cuming, Fort, Newton, Perry, Round, Sargeant, Springett, Mrs Stockell, Thick, de Wiggondene and J A Wilson

RESOLVED:

1.  That subject to the reclassification of Coxheath as a Larger Village and the insertion of the Indicative Housing Trajectory, the Council approves the Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2016 (attached as Appendix A to the report to the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee dated 13 January 2016, revised to reflect (i) insertion of the words ‘community and’ at line 1 of Policy H1 paragraph 2 on page 78, before the word ‘strategic’; and (ii) any previously agreed site-specific infrastructure criterion not covered by (i) which were agreed by the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee or its decision-making predecessor, and (iii), except where decisions and resolutions of the Planning Committee and/or the Planning Referrals Committee already supersede (i) and (ii)) for Publication (Regulation 19) and Submission to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100.

6.30 p.m. to 8.45 p.m.